Leigh Bale Blogs About Wild Horses

I’m delighted to announce I have a new book available from Harlequin Love Inspired titled HEALING THE FOREST RANGER. The story is centered around the wild mustangs that live and run free here in Nevada. I’ve tried to tackle a very difficult issue about whether or not the wild horses should be rounded up and moved off the land when they become too numerous to support their herds with food and water. The heroine is a forest ranger who loves the horses, but views this dilemma from an ecological perspective. The hero is a medical doctor and former prisoner of war and a wild horse advocate who thinks the mustangs should be left alone. The horses serve as a metaphor for the struggles the main characters are dealing with in their personal lives. A very poignant read I hope you’ll enjoy.

When I was a girl, my dad took me with him to check on “his wild horses.” He was raised on a ranch and is now a retired U.S. forest ranger. The picture above shows the mustangs living around Cherry Creek, Nevada, when Dad was the ranger over the Ruby Mountains, just outside of Well, Nevada. Once, Dad parked his truck on the dirt road between the stallion and his herd of mares. The stallion was furious with us, screaming, rearing, and charging the truck until Dad quickly moved us out of there. I was grateful to be safely inside the truck. That was the first time I became aware that wild horse are, well, wild. They aren’t tame at all.

The opening scene of HEALING THE FOREST RANGER is based on that pulse-pounding experience. Have you ever had an encounter with a wild or domestic animal that made you afraid? What is your favorite color for a horse? Have you ever ridden a horse before? (There are no right or wrong answers here.) Today, I’d like to randomly give away two copies of this heart-warming new book. So, stay tuned. And did you know you can adopt a wild horse? If you’re so inclined, the Bureau of Land Management can provide you with more information on how to do that.

Leigh Bale Bogs About Wild Horses - Book Giveaway!

Howdy from Nevada!  I’m delighted to announce that I have a new book coming out.  It’s officially a May release, but will be available on April 23^rd titled HEALING THE FOREST RANGER.  The story is centered around the wild mustangs that live and run free here in Nevada.  I’ve tried to tackle a very difficult issue about whether or not the wild horses should be rounded up and moved off the land when they become too numerous to support their herds with food and water.  The heroine is a forest ranger who loves the horses, but views this dilemma from an ecological perspective.  The hero is a medical doctor and former prisoner of war and a wild horse advocate who thinks the mustangs should be left alone.  The horses serve as a metaphor for the struggles the main characters are dealing with in their personal lives.  A very poignant read I hope you’ll enjoy.

 

That said, I’d like to randomly give away several copies of this heart-warming new book today.  What is your favorite color for a horse?  Have you ever ridden a horse before?  Do you own a horse?  Do you like horses?  (There is no right or wrong answer to these questions and they won’t impact who receives a book.)  J 

Leigh Bale Blogs About Spring

Spring is trying to get here, folks. Here in Northern Nevada where I live, our weather waffles back and forth between blinding snow storms and wind gusts up to eighty mph on Monday, and then wham! Tuesday, we get several days that reach temperatures up in the sixties. I’ve lived here for twenty-eight years now, and the weather is always the same. Freezing snow we have to shovel out of our driveway, then tomorrow it’ll be in the sixties and every bit of snow melts off. And every February, the bleeding hearts, tulips and daffodils start to poke their heads up. I keep telling them to tuck back down or they’ll get their heads frozen off, but they never listen to me. Here’s a picture of my tulips coming up. They’ll be bright yellow and always lighten my heart to see this manifestation of Spring. (Have I mentioned that I hate winter?) Is Nevada the only place that has back and forth weather like this? What about where you live? In the meantime, stay warm. Especially you Easterners who are getting snowstorm upon snowstorm without reprieve. We’ve had that kind of weather here in Nevada before and you have my sympathy.